Kai walked home alone.
That part didn't change.
The city buzzed with celebration—new hunters laughing, families crying, sponsors negotiating futures over drinks.
Kai passed through it like a ghost.
His wrist vibrated faintly.
Not physically.
Internally.
ASCENSION PROTOCOL — DORMANTFULL ACCESS UNLOCK: 04:58:12
A countdown.
So it wasn't a dream.
District 9 greeted him with dim lights and cracked pavement. The Barrier loomed above, massive and silent, separating the living from the evolving.
Kai unlocked his apartment and shut the door behind him.
Only then did his legs give out.
He sat on the bed, hands on his knees, breathing hard.
"Okay," he whispered. "Okay…"
The air in front of him rippled.
A translucent interface unfolded—thin, silver, unmistakably real.
HOST: KAISTATUS: CIVILIAN (TEMPORARY)CORE TYPE: ADAPTIVELIMIT: UNDEFINED
Kai stared.
"Undefined?" His voice cracked. "That's not… normal."
CONFIRMATION: NOT NORMAL
A laugh slipped out—half hysterical.
"Figures."
He leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
All his life, people had told him what he wasn't.
Not talented.Not sponsored.Not worth investing in.
The system had agreed.
And then—
It broke its own rules.
A knock hit the door.
Kai flinched and waved the interface away instinctively. It vanished instantly.
"Kai," a woman called. "Registry check."
Mrs. Halen.
He opened the door.
She scanned her tablet. "Civilian designation confirmed. Warehouse shift tomorrow."
Same life.
Same future.
"Understood," Kai said.
She paused. "You alright?"
Kai smiled.
A practiced thing.
"Yeah."
The door closed.
The interface reappeared.
03:41:09
Kai lay back on the bed.
If this system was real…
If it unlocked at midnight…
Then the world had four hours left to believe he was nothing.
He closed his eyes.
And for the first time in his life—
He looked forward to tomorrow.
[End of Chapter 2]